The Flames got a point last night, their first such standings point in 17 days. Since December 4, they’re 0-7-1. Granted, a lot of the past 17 days has been horrid luck, but occasional lapses have come back to haunt the Calgary Flames in a big way lately.

So our Sunday question is thus: Has Calgary’s losing streak changed your tune about the team, or are you satisfied with the team being at .500 (or thereabouts) around Christmas?

I would say my answer is “They are who were thought they were, and maybe a little bit better.” So I’m reasonably satisfied with where they sit.

It’s year two of the rebuild. The Flames are a team with some holes. In some cases, gaping holes. But they’ve also banked a lot of points and they’re significantly ahead of where they were last year standings-wise, and very likely in terms of the progression of the team as well.

To be honest, this was always going to be a group that had a tough road to the playoffs. The fact that they’re still in the picture this late in the season is pretty impressive, regardless of how percentages-based or bounces-based the wins were.